A couple years ago, I wrote a post about KEM farming (which can be found here) and how it yields donuts. Since that time, many of you like myself have gone on to grow your KEM farms to over 100 KEMs, earning over 100 donuts every 4 hours, as you have raised your XP bonus percentage into the thousands.

At this point, some of you may wonder is it worth always going for 3 donuts when you fill an XP bar? Or are you better spending that money on additional KEMs?

Super Safi has been an official member of the Addicts staff for nearly two years now and in that time he’s given us loads of stats, strategies, tips and bracket battles! Not to mention he’s a fixture on Addicts Live!

Way back in 2016 Safi wrote the strategy post to end all strategy posts. A post Addicts, and non-Addicts, have been reading, referencing and linking to whenever the subject of Free Donuts comes up. Yes, Safi was the original author of Kwik-e-Mart farming for free donuts! A post, I’m sure many of you have read before, all about how to buy and sell KEMs to earn free donuts in TSTO! I thought there’s no way we can have a look back week without including this classic from Safi!

So now I’ll turn it over to Super Safi and his stats and strategy in Kwik-E-Mart farming…

I have been an ardent tapper since Oct. 2012. That is, as of this writing, a full 5.5 years… or 65 months of tapping. I am 64 years old. I will not be retiring anytime soon, if ever…and have a huge, rich, full, life of family, work, volunteer and social service, as well as a wide range of recreation and travel (mostly to see my kids and grandkids), while still finding time to binge-watch waaaay too much media, play a little golf, AND Play/Blog TSTO.

What that means, is that I have to be very efficient with my time, and make sure that every minute is spent getting the most out of every bit of time I have left. I want a productive, purpose-driven life, with enough leisure time remaining. What that also means…is that I can’t/won’t let TSTO get out of balance in my life. I blog, expressly to keep things alive for our work in Buyijja, Uganda. If that stops…I stop blogging. I also play TSTO because I still enjoy designing my town…and interacting with people around the world. That’s it.

However...I have come to a ton of conclusions about KEM/House/Donut/Percentage farming…and how it has affected the way I play, as well as how much time I am willing to dedicate to the game, especially in light of a couple of serious deficiencies in TSTO overall.

Yes. This is directed at EA, as well as those who may very much dislike what I am about to write. But will hopefully add a sense of perspective to your grinding options.Continue reading →

The topic of Donut Farming has always been divisive and contentious. But it can also seem frustratingly complex to newer players, or players trying to KEM farm for Free Donuts for the first time. And…I am saying that this is the FINAL time we are going to talk about it. At least I hope so. Either farm, or don’t farm. We’re fine either way!

And again…before we start the conversation, this is NOT the place to brag about your own percentages or giant amassed stockpiles of donuts and XP. There is nothing more boorish than talking about money/XP/Bonuses etc. in public. If you do so…we will delete, shred, and blow out your comment.

This is to help those who are just starting out, and want to understand the “How/Why” of the basics. Everyone plays the game differently…and has their own pace. There is no wrong way to play the game. However, there are ways to play for free…and still get what you want…if you are willing to grind.

As I have said many times…I was late to KEM farming (as in just the last 6 months). I have been playing since Oct. 2012, so I already had a good jump on Bonus Percentage simply by buying Premium Items over the years. I am still hovering around 360%, which is on the “low side” for real KEM SUPER Farmers. But, I have found that this level is more than adequate to bring in between 24-36 donuts a day, if I keep my “Kasual KEM Farming Cycle” going. I am an advocate of Safi’s method…and will break it down even further in this post.Continue reading →

So…here we are again looking at a “grind-fest” for the next 7 weeks. There are a variety of ways to look at it…and yes, my initial reaction is “WTF????” (Why the Face?) EA??? And then, as I look at all of the stuff you can earn, and knowing that after succumbing to Safi’s version of “Casual KEM Farming,” I find myself not being nearly as stressed. The fact is…when you play on “House Money,” you don’t freak out if you “lose.” And KEM farming is definitely “house money.”

Yes. I have argued that the investment of time just isn’t worth the grind to do KEM farming super proficiently. And the fact is, I am still on the fence over a couple of the issues one faces when trying to become a “SUPER FARMER.” But, as you will see…if you want to get more than enough Bonuts to get the stuff you want, over the course of even 7 weeks…EA has made it pretty easy, because THEY have set the grind…but, WE get to set the “how much of a grind.”

Let’s take a look at maximizing your time…and answering the question, “How do I have a life and get it all????”

When and if you succumb to the fine art of Donut Farming (as I reluctantly admit to doing recently), you are going to start also becoming a player that is at least casually obsessed with Bonus Percentages Earned from buying and placing a variety of items in your town, which may or may not be bought for their beauty or intrinsic value, but entirely for what they earn. It’s like the difference between having a nice tile roof on your house, or an array of solar panels. The tile probably fits the architecture and original intent of the structure…but, the panels are EARNING their keep…all of the time.

Or…think of it like fertilizing your crop. When you add items to your town that have Bonus % increases, every KEM you farm, every character tapped, every rent or menu collected, will yield more donuts per square green patch. 30 KEMs with a multiplier of 200% will generate 1.2 donuts while those same 30 KEMS will generate 1.7 donuts with a 600% multiplier (at least according to Safi)..until you reach level 939. See His CHARTS HERE.

Man…OK…so it still sounds complicated. But, using our fertilizer analogy again, your KEM plant will generate way more buds, if you fertilize it with Bonus %. Wait…are were still talking about TSTO? And what kind of plant are you growing there, son??

As a recent convert (I won’t go into the why right now), I also started caring about Bonus % for the first time. The two go hand in hand. If you are going to take the time to farm Bonuts…you better pay attention to the BO-part of the term Bonuts, as in Bonus Donuts. Especially after you crest over the now-storied Level 939, and find yourself having to earn TWICE the number of XP (currently 1M) vs 500K (again currently before you hit 939).

So…Bonus % Items Really Start Mattering…if you want to play in the “big leagues of donut farming.” I’d like to come up with some romantic or cool term for the “Big Leagues of Donut Farming,” like the “Sprinkle Show,” or the “Big Time Donut Duster” or the “Tragically Obsessed Addicts Who Play Too Much For Their Own Good.” But, now that I am aspiring to be one of them, it is a waste of time and space. I’ll just call it, BTDF… Big Time Donut Farming.

Before any of you start lining up your pea shooters to cover me with spitwads from the peanut gallery…let me start with an apology. Mostly.

Holyfreakinshirt!!! Why do you DO that? (the voice of reason in my head screams loud enough to make the wild turkeys milling about in the front yard startle). “If you are going to apologize, then DO it!! Don’t always say you’re sorry, with an explanation…that is insincere!!” (Man…the voice in my head is really on guilt trip now!).

The fact is…I had been warned. Alissa had actually told me, “Don’t go there! The farmers are very protective of their farms!!!” But, did I listen? Noooooooooooo!

Even when I thought I was being “non-judgmental and inclusive” by actually trying a week of KEM farming, and reporting my personal statistics, and even going so far as to see the value of “Team Safi” casual donut farming (CDF), it really wasn’t enough.

The backlash was instant…huge…and bordering in insane (as far as anyone can actually declare anyone to be insane, in a world that is clearly off its hinges). I kid you not…there were calls for my banishment…and worse (sorry…but, it isn’t cool to suggest doing harm to my nether regions…even if “nether regions” is a metaphor for Krustyland…at least I think that what they were implying).

It is clear…that this is simply a topic that can’t be dealt with on a public forum
–no matter what the intent–if you want to avoid a very divisive, and dangerously fractious argument. And calling any action “obsessive” in a game that requires obsessive grinding to succeed, was off base.

I begin, by once again stating that I have never really been a donut farmer of any sort, whether it be KEMs or Vehicles (Rat Trap Trucks/Bloodmobiles). I just never thought it was worth the grind, when you consider the value of the time spent. As I have written about in the past, Life Currency (time) is more valuable than almost anything, especially at my advancing age. And even in my current state of semi-semi-semi retirement (I would retire if I could, and didn’t have another wedding to pay for in February…but still find enough time to golf and tap), I find that I need to affix SOME monetary value on time spent grinding…whether it is for Bonuts (bonus donuts) or the “incredible prizes” offered during the latest TSTO events. (spoken with tongue planted firmly in cheek).

I have to admit…I was surprised by the results. I was equally surprised by how the “new normal” has changed my view on what the term “grinding” means.

In the end…there is a recent change in the game, that may make Donut Farming a thing of the past…or at least not as attractive.Continue reading →

We are a whiny lot…those of us who have played this game for half a decade.

Yes. We have reached that point in the game, and our lives, that admitting that HALF A DECADE of tapping is a reality. Like many of the true Addicts, I started playing in the first week of October of 2012, and have run the full gambit of emotions as the game has evolved. And before I start whining (this is a warning to the bliss-ninnies), I am going to begin by saying the game HAS evolved. It has become amazingly more interesting, more complex, and in some ways, a lot more rewarding for the effort we spend to play each day. Mostly.

There. See? I can be something other than “Cranky” about TSTO and EA.

But, what does that have to do with Donut Farming? (I hear the donut farmers say…they are in impatient lot). Plenty.Continue reading →

Note from Alissa: So one of the popular requested items on my “what would you like to see on this site during the downtime” post was more details about Donut/XP Farming. What it is, how it’s done…and what the heck Kwik-E-Mart Farming is. And of course everyone’s favorite site contributor…Safi…stepped up and offered to write up the post!Safi reached out to me and we discussed writing up the post. And in true Safi fashion he stepped in with loads of details, charts, tables and figures! Full disclosure, this post may be a little daunting for newer tappers or casual Tappers. There are some great tips in here for those looking to earn free donuts. Just remember to take your time figuring it all out and go at your own pace 🙂
And now here’s Safi….

“Hi Everybody!” (Hi Dr Nick Safi!)

With the recent release of Level 60 and the end of all levels, the games concept of leveling up has shifted slightly. Once you complete Level 60, you’ll be able to continue to level up to Level 61 and beyond. There’s just no questline, character, or building associated with those levels (Homerlayas excluded).

Initially, you can level up from Level 61 to Level 100 each time you fill up an XP bar of 40k XP. You receive 1 donut for each time you level up, for a total of 40 donuts.

You can then continue to level up from Level 100 to Level 939 each time you fill up an XP bar of 500k XP. You receive 1 donut for each time you level up, for a total of 839 more donuts.

Beyond Level 939, your Level does not go any higher. However, each time you fill up an XP bar of 1 million XP, you have the opportunity to choose one of three boxes for a chance at 1, 2, or 3 free donuts.

So there is potential for premium and freemium players alike to score thousands of free donuts as a result of leveling up by continuously filling their XP bar.

Let’s take a closer look at the details and strategies that go into XP Farming…